Individualized Label for a Project Bag
Project bag: finished bag measures 18 cm X 28 cm
Linen: old handwoven with a 18/cm thread count, cut to 16 cm X 11 cm
Threads: coton à broder No. 20 for Coral Knot stitches and French Knots; No. 30 for the filling patterns, Wave stitches, and slanting Blanket stitches (Early Schwalm Whitework); 2 strands of 6-ply stranded cotton for Stem and Satin stitches.
Design: No. 03 measuring 10 cm X 4,94 cm
Band for a Laundry Bag
Laundry bag: finished bag with a diameter of 42 cm and a height of 57 cm
Linen: 13.5/cm thread count, cut to 25 cm X 145 cm
Threads: coton à broder No. 16 for Coral Knot stitches; No. 20 for the needleweaving stitches of the filling pattern, for the Blanket stitches, and the Satin stitches of the leaves; No. 30 for Chain stitches, the Satin stitch bars in the basket, and the Single Faggot stitch grid (in the tulips cut 1, leave 2), and the Peahole hem; 2 strands of 6-ply stranded cotton for the Satin stitches in the tulips.
Design: No. 18 measuring 9 cm X 9.62 cm
Filling pattern: No. 37 (Openwork Needleweaving Patterns)
Cover for a Flat Gift
Linen: 13.5/cm thread count
Threads: coton à broder No. 16 for Coral Knot stitches, No. 25 for the Satin stitches of the leaves
and the Little Stars, No. 30 for Chain stitches and the filling pattern.
Design: No. 22 measuring 9 cm X 9 cm
Filling pattern: Eight-Pointed “Snow Star” (Stars) and Rose stitches
Picture
Linen: 20/cm thread count, cut to about 18 cm X 24 cm
Threads: coton à broder No. 20 for Coral Knot stitches; No. 25 for Satin, Blanket, and Eyelash stitches; No. 30 for Chain stitches, the filling pattern, and the Peahole hem.
Design: No. 15 measuring 8 cm X 11.26 cm
Filling pattern: alternating one row of Narrow Zip (Wickelstiche) and two rows of Honeycomb Darning stitches (Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework)
Additional items: non-woven fusible interfacing for the back of the linen, a small wooden frame, a small hook
Putting a S hook in the Peahole hem, a year-round picture can easily turn into a holder for an advent gift.
In addition to the dark aprons, white aprons were also a part of the Schwalm festive costume.
However, these were reserved for young girls up to marriage. They were worn on bright warm days in addition to the white bodices and the red costume.
In the year 1941, Heinrich Metz (1897–1973), a pastor with a profound appreciation of Schwalm habits and costumes, made a survey of an average Schwalm bride’s trousseau. [Source: Schwälmer Jahrbuch 2000]
Regarding the aprons he found:
Although the basic construction of the white aprons was similar to the dark aprons, there were more elaborate details. For example, the two strips needed for the width of the apron were sewn together with a fancy seam.
The aprons´ waistbands were embroidered with the finest whitework and additionally decorated with needlelace.
The hook-and-eye closure was covered with gold-plated clasps.
Often the initials of the owner and small ornaments were embroidered with Cross stitches on the flat middle sections at the waistlines of the aprons.
Sometimes the year was also added.
Especially magnificent examples had additional small whitework borders on the flat sections on both sides at the waistline
or on the flat middle section at the waistline.
Between the flat sections, the apron was gathered with tiny pleats.
There are aprons with withdrawn thread work
and some with patterns lying on top of the fabric, as seen below in the heart motif
and in the circle motif.
However, the most common were small borders embroidered with Satin stitches
in many different patterns,
and border patterns worked with Coral Knot stitches and Satin stitches.
A large number of small border designs can be found in my publication Schwalm Curved Lines, Narrow Borders, and Ornamental Stitches.
The needlelace was also worked differently and elaborately.
Besides very simple examples,
multirow needlelace with pyramids and different picots were worked. One can find detailed instructions for working needlelace scallops, needlelace pyramids, and picots in my publication Schwalm Needlelace edge decorations – easily embroidered.
And finally, the costume consisting of the neat white apron, the black skirts, the black waistcoat, the white bodice, the red bottom edges of the skirts, and the red caps became very wellknown in the world as Little Red Riding Hood’s costume.
